The restaurant week menu cost HKD 438 for a 3 course dinner. There were 2 options in each course. My friends picked Cauliflower soup, Ricotta dumplings, Grapes & Curry for appetizer. Even though cauliflower soup was of cream base, and the impression of ricotta dumplings already seemed a little heavy, my friends actually commented that this was rather refreshing. The aroma of curry and its subsequent stimulus stirred an appetizing sensation that aroused diners' appetite.
I picked the alternative of Warm Salad of roasted beets, carrots, goat cheese and house made duck ham. A non-conventional combinaton. I remembered I also had beets for my appetizer at my first visit to Madam Sixty Ate. The beets in this dish were quite sweet and I was glad the
One of my friends chose Wagyu beef brisket, roast onions and radishes. It was well cooked that shreds of beef were easily sliced from the piece. The portion was of good size to leave enough room for dessert.
The 2 of us opt for Roast seabass, sauteed baby gem luttuce, dill & lemon. Seabass was juicy and tender, but what amazed me and my friend the most was the lettuce. It was exceptionally moist and juicy that we wished we could have more of it! Lemon cream was served as sides instead of mashed potatoes. This was a wise choice that ladies' stomachs would be not stuffed with carbs! It was definitely lighter for having lemon cream every other bite that I almost licked the plate!
Our taste converged for the last course that we all ordered Dark Chocolate Mousse, poached cherries and cocoa nib biscuit. (The three of us tried to stay away from seemingly overly sweet white chocolate - the other option) Well it was very rich in chocolate, but the texture of the whole dessert was not something which I expected. The mousse resembled a melted chocolate ice-cream which was even softer than mascarpone cheese in Tiramisu. The poached cherries were a good complement that its faint sour taste has somewhat neutralized the sweetness. I did not particularly like the biscuit since it was not as crunchy as I had imagined. Bits and pieces were quite sticky and chewy that they got stuck on my teeth. OK this sounded a little gross but exactly described how I felt.
Every dish had a slight tweak from traditional french cuisine. Some were successful while some still needed more fine tuning. For a restaurant week dinner of HKD 438, I reckoned I could have a better value-for-money option. Given it could ride on the experience of its sister restaurant, I hoped Madam S'ate would blossom and improve in my next visit.
Madam S'Ate 位於九龍站圓方三樓平台的廣場，跟灣仔的姊妹店 Madame Sixty Ate 一樣走摩登歐陸菜路線，菜式喜歡大玩新奇的食材配搭，烹調方法則傾向平實，主張原汁原味。
經典法式洋蔥湯, 3/5
煙燻三文魚配刺水瓜、茴香及蘿蔔, 4/5
烤盲鰽配白洋蔥泥、洋薊和橄欖醬, 3/5
燒牛面頰配烤紅菜頭、醃洋蔥、芥茉, 4/5
香草雪糕配朱古力及櫻桃泡芙, 3/5
冬季雜莓配鮮奶油、開心果酥撻、法式蛋白霜, 4/5
整頓午餐由用料的選擇以至菜式的設計都十分講究，特別喜歡食物那種原汁原味和不造作的演繹方法。經過兩次不太愉快的 Restaurant Week，Madam S'ate 終於為我們帶來最後勝利。
And let it begin! So we started with their modern French onion soup(HK$90), which was a modified version of the classic. The ingredients were roughly the same as the classic version, with onions, parmesan and bread soaked in the consomme, but in significantly smaller portion and lower temperatures. One notable difference is the addition of anchovy and preserved shallot, giving the soup a sharper and lighter flair. For the health conscious, this is a great dish; but for foodies, I think most would agree with me that this was nowhere as comforting as the original version served with oozing cheese in a piping hot pot. I simply cannot agree with taking the comfort out of comfort food.
Our next appetizer was a French favorite - beef tartare(HK$145)! Raw beef mixed with onions, greens, topped with a raw egg yolk and sprinkled with paprika, sided with thinly sliced chips - I believe this classic dish does not need any further introduction. I like how they stayed true to the original, because it was delicious! The homemade chips were also perfect, thinnly sliced and crisps, flavored with its original starchy fragrance. My only suggestion would be to be more generous with the chips or replace them altogether with crusty bread.
The main was barramundi with ricotta gnocci and young turnips(HK$285) served with Madam S'ate salad(HK$55) and pomme frites(HK$55). The barramundi was brilliantly done, with crispy skin and juicy melt-in-your-mouth flesh. It was served with young turnips and and ricotta gnocchi, offering mellow contrast to the richness of the fish. It was a very balanced dish with great textures, loved it! In the meantime, the sides, were plain disappointing, to say the least. For a salad named after the restaurant, I would expect something special. But it was just plain salad drizzled in red wine vinaigrette. The shoestring fries were nothing special, softer than I expected, but to be fair, I know people who prefer softer fries. To their credit though, is that the fries were fresh and hot out of the fryer.
We ordered Sour Grapes(HK$90,left) and Bloody Mary(HK$100,right) to go with our meal. Sour grapes was quite nice, tangy and sweet, and hints of white grape flavor (although the drink was made with red grapes). The Bloody Mary was refreshing as always, but I personally prefer a thicker stronger blend.
To close the deal, we treated ourselves to the fig galette with honeycomb and mascarpone(HK$80), which was supremely executed. The honeycomb was sweet and crunchy, the mascarpone very creamy and vanilla-esque, figs were ripe; these were docked on top a thin crispy layer of toasted almond and carmel, which was based upon a layer of thick cake. The combination was satisfying without being overpowering.
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